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Thursday, February 28, 2013

We're praying for our beloved Holy Father as he finishes up his pontificate and then retires, focusing his efforts on praying for our church. How can we be sad knowing we have such a powerful prayer warrior on our side??

h/t to Designs by Birgit!

We continue to pray for our cardinals as they gather together to be guided by the Holy Spirit to elect our next Pope. In case you haven't seen this you can go here and adopt a Cardinal to pray and fast for during the conclave. We adopted:

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

We're so thankful that it is almost March. February is such a hard month for me and therefore, for my children as well. As I reflect on where we are at this moment school-wise and where we still have to go, I'm pretty pleased with what I'm seeing.

This past fall we really cut back on our activities (well, mainly because the people who were running them stopped doing them) which has been beneficial for our bookwork, i.e. we have actually been doing it consistently. There really is something to that theory that if you stay home on a regular basis, you are more likely to get your bookwork done. I specify bookwork because so much other learning really can be done as we move along in our day, no matter where we are.

As I look ahead to the next week and realize that quite a few of the kids will be finishing a number of their subjects, I've begun to ponder just what type of extra things we can do till we finish in May. This would be the perfect time for a unit study or two. Maybe we should focus on some writing since that always seems to take a back seat during the height of the school year. Hopefully the weather will be turning to the nice side soon and we can get out and start doing outdoor type things: nature walks, outdoor physical education, photography. Maybe more read-alouds will make the list!

There are so many fun options available to us that I hope I can make up my mind and not just blink and realize that it is now June and we haven't really done anything, which is a possibility given how fast time seems to speed by. A new Pope, Easter, a birthday, a Communion, an important anniversary...yeah, it is a quite possible that time will fly by.

What do you do when you start to finish off subjects? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Monday, February 25, 2013

* Having a good workout and realizing that I am getting stronger!* Good company, conversation and laughs at two baby showers this weekend.* Wise advice from friends with older children.* Relatives who care enough to ask tough questions and lend support.

Beauty in the Ordinary:

Just being home for a quiet evening after having a very busy three days. Sometimes those quiet evenings at home can become tedious and monotonous when they occur night after night, but when you've been running for a few days, they are a welcome respite.

In the Kitchen:

We're having to revamp our Lenten meals because after doing the grocery shopping for the past two weeks, I've realized that these meals actually increased our bill by a substantial amount. Back to the drawing board for simple, healthy meals that don't break the bank.

The Week Ahead:

They are predicting another snow storm for the one day this week that we have four different things going on. I wonder if it will materialize. Other than that, we're looking forward to the first of our Lenten birthdays coming up at the end of the week.

Pondering:

What I'm sure many of you are: Just where is the Lord going with this resignation thing? I fully trust that the Holy Spirit is leading the way and am excited to see who our next Pope will be and just what the Lord has in store for Pope Benedict once he retires. I'm sure we haven't heard the last from him (Pope Benedict that is, not the Lord...I KNOW we haven't heard the last from HIM!!).

Praying:

For strength and grace to make some much needed changes. For my 7 year old nephew (and my sister-in-law :) who is in a full leg cast and wheelchair for the next month.

Reading:

I've finally gotten into "Drinking From the Dry Well" and it is wonderful, just as I knew it would be. I've read before that God has a usual way that He will speak to a person and the way He most often speaks to me is through a book. This book is just what my soul needs right now.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Thank you to Chris over at Campfires and Cleats for honoring me with this blog award. The Liebster Award isgiven to up - and - coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.Liebster is German for "sweetest," "kindest," "nicest," "dearest," "beloved," "valued," "endearing," and "welcoming." Thanks, Chris for this honor. Send her some love by visiting her wonderful blog.

Here are the "rules" for The Liebster Award:

1. List 11 things about yourself.

2. Answer the questions that the nominator has posed for you.

3. Nominate 11 up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

4. Create 11 questions to ask the nominees.

5. Go to the page of each nominee and tell her about her award.

So here are the 11 things about me:

1. I would love to own and operate a Catholic family campground. It would be beautiful, big-family friendly (meaning no extra fees for more than 2 kids!) and a great place to enjoy the outdoors!

2. I'm not particularly fond of exercise but am enjoying the outcome of our P90X stint.

3. I'm not particularly fond of this clean eating stuff, either. Bring on the chocolate.

4. My kids know more about their faith than I did for the first 29 years of my life.

5. I really wanted to get a tattoo and a leather jacket for my 30th birthday, but more than 15 years later, I'm kinda glad I never did. Get the tattoo that is. I'd still like the leather jacket.

6. My dh and I will be celebrating 25 years of the sacrament of marriage this Spring.

7. I'm torn between wanting to go away with just him or go somewhere nice with the whole family. Good thing we can't do either :)

8. I'd like to have chickens again. I miss talking to them..they were such good listeners. And their eggs tasted good, too.

9. I love to watch sports in person (not on TV). Well, all sports except baseball. I'd rather have teeth pulled than watch baseball.

10. Now that the kids are older, I enjoy watching good TV series' (we seem to migrate towards the British ones for some reason) with them.

11. On that note, I can't wait for Dr. Who to begin again. That new companion might even make me like Matt Smith!

Now I must answer the questions posed by Chris:

1. I grew up in Northern Illinois, back when it was only moderately corrupt and the crime rate wasn't quite so high.

2. If I could live anywhere it wouldn't so much be a particular town but it would meet the following requirements: consist of over 25 acres of partially wooded land with some sort of water source contained on it (ie a lake or river), be in a location where there are four real seasons and have some contour to the land. Shouldn't be too hard to find :)

3. My favorite book? I really don't have favorites of anything because I like so many things! Really? Um, how about...I don't know.

4. Okay so I'll fail this one, too. Favorite movie? I like a lot of different movies but off the top of my head "Batman Begins" and "Pride and Prejudice" come to mind.

5. This one is easy. The saint who inspires me is St. Ignatius. He was a genius in all things spiritual.

6. Hobby? Who has time for hobbies? If I spend my time on something other than being a wife, mother and teacher it is on my passion which is photography!

7. I began my blog because I love to write and I thought this would be the perfect outlet for that desire.

8. My fairy tale wedding is the one I had because I cannot imagine anything else. Well, except for when the DJ introduced us as husband and wife and called me by my maiden name and we had to walk down a set of stairs after that but my dress was too wide so my husband had to wait until I got all the way down. I might change that.

9. If I could have dinner with anyone it would be Mother Teresa. Cliche, I know, but I think it would be fascinating.

10. Definitely Jane Austen over Louisa May Alcott!

11. Best spot for a relaxing dinner with the family? With seven children I truly do not believe that such a place exists :)

Now on to the part of this award that almost stopped me from participating; nominating other blogs. I will admit that as much as I love to blog, rarely do I find much time to read other people's. I know, it is horrible of me. Where is the support? I'm trying to remedy that, but it is a slow process. All that to say, I don't read 11 blogs with under 200 followers. Just so I have something in this section, I'll nominate my two daughters who have blogs because, well, they're my daughters, and I know they'll enjoy doing this!

And if there is anyone else who reads here that would love to participate, then I'd love to pass this honor along to you, too! All you have to do is follow the steps listed above and then answer these 11 questions?

1. What prayer do you find comfort in?2. What is your guardian angels name?3. Beef or chicken?4. What is your favorite eye color and why?5. Describe your dream vacation.6. Would you rather live someplace rural or urban and why?7. Which season is your favorite?8. What is the farthest place you have traveled to?9. Would you rather work for someone else or be self-employed?10. David Tennat or Matt Smith? (I just couldn't resist!)11. What do you like to do on a Sunday?There you have it! Thanks so much, Chris, for this opportunity. Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by. Now off to do the last part of this and that is to notify those two I listed. "Oh, girlsss..."God Bless!

Friday, February 22, 2013

We're still trying to recover from that horrible finale of "Downton Abbey" earlier this week. I have to admit that this helped to lighten the mood:

--- 2 ---

We took a one day break between our viewing of shows and then watched Sunday's episode of "Once Upon A Time". I must say that I thought this episode was a good one...something I haven't thought lately. My prediction is that they'll be back in their land by the end of the season (or at least heading there). My daughter decided that before that happens, Darth Vader (now owned by Disney) will make an appearance since the writers have left the opening for non-fairy tale characters to be part of the show (Dr. Frankenstein). She envisions Darth teaming up with Cora. Hmmm, we'll see who's right :)

--- 3 ---

Regina Doman has a new Fairy Tale Novel coming out next month called "Rapunzel Let Down". Can I just tell you that I got to read a copy of it and that it is a real page turner? Can I also tell you that I shot the photo for the cover model? Can I mention, too, that I cannot believe that one of my photos is going to be in print and I'm way excited about that? Good, thanks for letting me get all that off my chest!

--- 4 ---

Okay, so here's another video we came across this week that is fun and informative. Given that many people do not know how a man becomes Pope, here is a bit of a rundown on that process:

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I've been following along with Heather's blog as she works her way through organizing her house throughout Lent. I have to emphasize that I am following the blog, but not necessarily getting done all that she is suggesting! I did, however, clean out my freezer recently. No, not the big upright freezer, the little one at the top of my fridge. I know, it doesn't sound very ambitious does it, but a long time ago someone dumped the bag of parsley in there and the bottom has looked like a moss-covered forest floor for quite some time. Now, thanks to Heather, it doesn't! Small steps, people. That's all it takes.

--- 6 ---

This week has been much more productive on the Lenten resolutions front. We started the Total Consecration by St. Louis de Montfort on the 20th (I always love doing this in Lent), I've begun reading the first book I set out to read, and I've managed to forgo my afternoon coffee, which has been quite the challenge. Not much, but much better than last week where I was lying on the couch in agony.

--- 7 ---

So this is it; the last week of basketball. I'm really going to miss this every Friday night. They play two games tonight (Friday) and we're just praying they win one of them. Even if they don't, we'll have had a fun time and my son will have successfully completed his first ever round of organized sports. We took this picture the other day and he looked so much like his grandpa that we made the picture look old(er) to match!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

It is always encouraging to realize that your littlest ones are listening during Mass, even if they appear to be more interested in blowing things up with their hands.

Case in point. As we were walking out of church today, Mr 7 yo said the following:

"Mom, you know in the gospel when it said, 'ask and you will receive and knock and it shall be opened'? Well, I was thinking that after school, one person from each bedroom could go into the bedroom and shut the door. The rest of us could go to the door and knock and they would open it for us and we would ask for something from the room and they would give it to us. You know, just like in the gospel!"

By mid-day on Ash Wednesday, I was curled up on the couch in terrible pain; not quite the start to Lent I had planned.

Planned...it's always good to have a plan for Lent, but I know from experience that when God has another plan it is always better for His plan to override mine. So for the next three days I tried to be patient and ride out the worst of the stomach flu that hit me. I was not able to do one of the things that I had set out to do thus far, and up to that point I was okay with it. I mean, really, it was only the first three days of Lent and there were still 37 more to go; more than enough time to make up ground.

What hit me out of the blue, however, was the wave of despair that got me the other night. The kind that snaps the rug right out from under you. The kind that makes doing anything feel like it will take a Herculean effort. One of the books on the reading list I had planned was "Drinking From the Dry Well" by Thomas H Green, so in a way I've been preparing for this, but it never is easy when it hits.

So how does one even think of beginning 36 more days of prayer and sacrifice and penance when the ground underneath is so dry that the cracks are big enough to swallow up small children? Well, one way is to drag oneself to that great Sacrament of Reconciliation; the font of God's mercy. The vessel of grace that allows us a small enough drop of consolation that we can begin to feel like loving instead of grumbling. Oh, it's still hard, sometimes almost impossible, to continue to love and not grumble, but God's mercy is endless and HIS Love is great, and so each day allows us another opportunity to begin again.

I've heard numerous times over the past week that Lent isn't about what we give up or what we do but about how it all brings us closer to God. That's what I'm trying to focus on right now. That, and living in the present moment, which is really all that we have.

How about you? Has your Lent started off on the right foot or are you finding it difficult and dry? If that's the case, how do you deal with it?

Check out the Lent reflections participating in
the Keep LOVE in LENT Blog Link-Up 2013! We'll be sharing different ways, tips,
stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Lenten sacrifices,
prayer and good deeds, and how to carry them out with LOVE instead of a
GRUMBLE.

Monday, February 18, 2013

* Being mostly back from the land of the dead. It's always so good to feel human again after a bout of illness (this time the stomach flu).* Amazon having Downton Abbey episodes to keep me busy while the family was away Friday night. All caught up now :)* Kids who can cook and keep the house running when mom is down.* A God who is merciful.

Beauty in the Ordinary:

We had a quiet evening on Saturday with only some of the kids home so the boys, hubby and I played a game of "Sorry". It was a fun game, no one cried or got upset. It came down to the two boys for last place and they battled fiercely until the end, with Mr 12 yo losing by three squares :) It is so much fun to watch the young minds work out a strategy in their head and then play it out (well, whatever strategy there is in a "Sorry" game, that is).

In the Kitchen:

Our kitchen during Lent has once again become a place of repetition. We've decided on the following meals for the next six weeks:

I'm not a fan of repetition in much of anything, so this is always a challenge for me. Usually by the end of Lent, no one wants to see any of these meals for quite some time.

The Week Ahead:

We have a wake to go to, school to do, and I have a photo shoot that I'm really looking forward to. If it goes well, the picture will end up on the cover of a new book coming out! Prayers would be appreciated!

Listening To:

Boys make Lego noises, girls catching up on the Downton Abbey episodes I watched on Friday.

Pondering:

Nothing. My brain is not quite back up to pondering mode yet.

Praying:

Prayers of thanksgiving for our friend who finally got a wonderful job after almost a year of unemployment!! Praise the Lord!

Captured:

So once in awhile you have to try something different. Sometimes it works and other times, like this one, it doesn't :) This is a friend of ours playing her harp while my husband held a wind glass up in front of my camera. But then, you could figure that out, couldn't you???God Bless!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

What a day to have the day after Ash Wednesday! We don't normally whoop it up on this day, but it usually is a good excuse to have a nice chocolatey dessert. No dessert today, but fortunately my dh and I were able to celebrate in a grand way this past Saturday.

The two of us and 22 of our closest friends were invited to a dinner prepared and hosted by 18 of our collective daughters.

A friend of mine leads a group every year for girls aged 10 thru 18 where she teaches about a specific country - its culture, history, famous people, saints, etc. This year they are learning about France and so she decided to treat all the parents to a seven course French dinner.

The girls arrived earlier in the day and prepared the following menu (some items had been started earlier in the week!):

Dessert Crepes – spread with either Chocolate Nutella or French Banana Filling

My friend is also a woman after my own heart as she is incredibly organized. Check out this chart she made so that everyone knew what their jobs were and to ensure that all things got done when they needed to!

Not only did they cook the meal, but we were greeted by them and then served hors d'oeuvres and champagne punch. During the meal there was also various forms of entertainment. Some sang, others played instruments and did some miming, which the French are famous for.

The evening was absolutely wonderful! The company was great and the food was scrumptious. By the time we left, the girls were exhausted and my friend will probably sleep for a week. What a blessing she is to have given so much of her time for her friends and their girls!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

"To change the world, we must change ourselves." St. Frances de Sales.

I read this quote the other night and it caught my attention. Little did I know that I would be waking up the next morning to news of the Pope's resignation. Everyone speculating why and what would come next. Is there scandal? Is he sick? Who will the next Pope be? Will this be the last Pope? Is the anti-Christ coming? So many questions. So few answers.

But, is there a connection between the questions and the worry and the fretting, and the quote at the top? I believe there is. It is so easy to get caught up in all of the worry about where we are headed, when in reality all we are called to be is holy. If we focus on that, especially with Lent right upon us, maybe we can change the world, no matter who the next Pope is or what he does, or doesn't do?

God is calling us, right now, on the threshold of 40 days of prayer, penance and almsgiving to change ourselves so that we can begin to change the world. St. Frances also said, "To be dissatisfied and fret about the world, when we must of necessity be in it, is a great temptation." I figure I can spend the next 6 weeks fretting about the world and what is to become of it, or I can pull up my bootstraps and work on making myself into a holier person.

Maybe it is good that Pope Benedict announced this right before Lent. We can use this time, with its prayers and penances, to pray that the Holy Spirit will prevail and we will be blessed with another good and holy man that will lead us into the new springtime!

So what say you? Are you ready for Lent? Are you ready to transform yourself over the next 40 days into a person that can help transform the world? Hey, we can even give it a name and call it H40X - 40 days to Extreme Holiness! Come on, our challenge awaits!

Monday, February 11, 2013

* Even though they didn't win (again) my son's basketball team came close to winning and they played great. It was fun to watch.* A wonderful Valentine's dinner put together by a club my girls are in (more on that later in the week).* A quiet day on Sunday topped with a movie with the big kids.* A decent tax return :)Beauty in the Ordinary:

I had the opportunity to have a number of hours on Saturday to sit in my room, by myself, and work on my website. It was very productive! I find sitting in the rocking chair in my room, which is quite ordinary, to be so peaceful.

In the Kitchen:

Whipped up some awesome cranberry muffins in the kitchen this morning. Tomorrow the highlight for Fat Tuesday will be ribs in the crock pot and paczki's!! Then Lent begins and the kitchen becomes a place of repetition and simpliticy.

The Week Ahead:

Lent. There is nothing more to say.

Pondering:

The announcement by the Holy Father and what this will mean for our Church and for the world.

Praying:

For my 22 year old nephew who just underwent back surgery. For the Church and the cardinals as they prepare to elect a new Pope, that the Holy Spirit will guide the process. Captured:

Friday, February 8, 2013

Every once in awhile I come across a quote that really sticks in my brain. The other day I read this one from Pope St. Gregory (parenthesis are mine for context of the quote), "The devil has nothing of his own in this world, and he goes into battle naked. If you are clothed when you fight him (meaning you have a lot of attachments), you will soon be pulled to the ground, because he will have something to grab onto." This is what I imagine myself to look like when fighting the devil:

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Yesterday I had the opportunity to do what I think has become my favorite of the P90X workouts: Kenpo X. I've never done anything like this before, so this martial art-sy type workout is quite fun and exhausting. I figure everyone is still safe because my form is horrible and my punches and kicks are quite lacking. You never know, though, what might happen with some more practice. If nothing else, it burns a lot of calories.

--- 3 ---

My favorite part of Quick Takes: being able to rapidly change topics without appearing to be scatter-brained :)

--- 4 ---

Our pastor was supposed to come for dinner last night but had to cancel because he wasn't feeling well. Unfortunately we had already baked the dessert and so had to eat it so that it didn't go to waste. Darn.

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I've taken the photographic plunge and been shooting in full manual mode lately. It has been so much fun!.

That's what I love about photography; there is always so much more to learn.

You start in automatic mode, move to semi-manual mode and then to manual mode. You might think you're done when you learn that, but then there's all the lighting and white balance and tons of other things to fine tune so that you don't have to depend so much on your post-processing abilities. It's a lot like the faith...you are never done learning and growing!

--- 6 ---

Mr 12 yo has a double header in basketball tonight; one game at 8:00 pm and the next at 9:00 pm. The games are each 36 minutes long with a 9 minute half-time break so they turn these babies around in a very timely fashion. Well, seeing as how his team hasn't won one game yet, we're all a little nervous about what they are going to look like by the 9:00 pm game. To top it off, they only have seven players, so the boys play quite a bit of those 36 minutes. If you feel so inclined, please say a prayer that they don't get creamed :)

--- 7 ---

Has cabin fever hit your house yet? Yeah, here too. Counting down the days till warmer weather comes our way. Problem is, it could be tomorrow or it might not be for two months. Ya just never know from one day to the next what the weather will be around here. If you're out east, I hope your weather isn't too bad this weekend. Have a safe and blessed weekend.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

This is Ms 9 yo. She is the youngest of the five girls. She shares a bedroom with her other sisters. She needed her own space, she said, so my youngest girl took it upon herself to carve out her own space in the house.

What I think is so funny about this is that she didn't pick a secluded spot somewhere in the deep recesses of the house (or basement for that matter). She chose a small corner of bare floor right in the den, tucked away in between the couch, a table and a chair.

She moved in her bean bag and back rest, a small pillow and a small blanket to keep her comfy. When she's sitting back there, you really can't see her because her head is below the arm of the couch, so I guess she is tucked away in her own little corner, just close enough, though, to feel safe :)

She also brought along one of her favorite pals - her tiny zebra called Zippy. Here she made her a comfortable spot to sleep and play. I love the striped chair made from a matchbox and that cool duct tape that comes in all kinds of different colors and designs.

Even her baby doll gets to join in the fun. I love to see her being so maternal :)

At first I thought this phase would die quickly, but she's been set up here for over a month now and seems to really enjoy her little corner of the world, where she can be "alone" but still be a part of the family.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

This is Mr 7 yo. He is having a hard time getting that reading thing down. He's getting there, slowly but surely. Okay, maybe really S-L-O-W-L-Y.

The other day, though, I think I inadvertently discovered something that helps. We were sitting down with our Little Angel Readers and I was mentally preparing myself for the day's lesson, calling upon my Guardian Angel for that extra ounce of patience.

I looked at him preparing as well. I decided to lighten the mood a bit. I told him I was going to get him ready to read. I first massaged his brain...

Then I told him we needed to massage his eyes so that they were ready to see the right letters...

Then I massaged his mouth so that the right sounds would come out....

Then we sat down to read. Funny thing was, he actually did better. He got to a particularly hard word (n-e-x-t...you know, words with two consonants next to each other!) and he did it...he read the word all by himself.

He no sooner said the word "next" when he looked at me in awe and said, "Hey, that really did work!" Ah, one of those moments that make all the other days SOOO worth it.

Of course, now we have to make this a regular part of our phonics lesson. Today we tried it again and guess what, it worked again! Praise God! If I have to do this every day, I will just so I can see his little face shine when he is done!

Monday, February 4, 2013

* Even though my son's basket ball team lost AGAIN, they played for the first time like a team and it was so much fun to watch.* The big snowflakes falling softly to the ground - I mean straight down, no wind, no obnoxious threat of horribleness, just gently falling snowflakes.* Finding a new doctor that I actually liked!* A great dinner of our favorite pizza and my sister-in-law's delicious cake.

Beauty in the Ordinary:

We took a family walk today in the snow. Okay, so that is not exactly ordinary because we don't often take walks and it doesn't often snow, or so it seems that way lately. But, nonetheless, it was a beautifully ordinary day in the woods. Peaceful, not too cold, not too much commotion from anyone. How peaceful God's creation can be.

Listening To:

Nothing. It is so silent here. My dh and some of the kids are still at the in-laws watching the game and the rest of the girls are not saying a word. Wow.

In the Kitchen:

Well Monday we're going to have to have the Balsamic vinegar marinated pork chops with peaches that we were going to have on Sunday until half the family left to go eat sub sandwiches and watch the game. Then I believe we have the wonderful Taco Soup and a good ole fashioned Shepherd's Pie as well as homemade pizza on the list.

Looking Ahead:

We go to the accountant's office this week to find out if there is much hope of a tax refund. Ugh. We also have our monthly hour at the local Planned Parenthood as well as a double header in basketball this week. On the weekend, my hubby and I get to go to a Valentine's Day dinner put on by the girls' club two of my daughters are in. Homemade French food and champagne, YUM!

Praying:

For Sarah who will be having her bone marrow transplant on Monday sometime. Please join me in praying that it will be successful. Also praying for friends of ours to find a job as he has been out of work since last April.

Reading:

Still nothing. I really do need to remedy this and get going on something. Actually I just remembered that I was supposed to be reading the next chapter in History so I could be prepared to discuss it this week with the kids. Guess I'll have to get right on that one.